Total syntheses of aglycones of antitumor anthracycline antibiotics (e.g. daunorubicin, adriamycin, aclacinomycin) and of chromomycin antibiotics (e.g. olivomycin) are under investigation, and a regiospecific total synthesis of the alkaloid selagine is in progress. A regiospecific synthesis of daunomycinone has been completed, and synthetic routes to prepare anthracyckinones having only one phenolic oxygen in the B-ring are under study.